What is the impact of DEI on spine care? Does it matter if my doctor looks like me?

Abstract

Though the U.S. population has rapidly diversified in recent decades, the American physician workforce has been slow to follow. Orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery are two specialties which remain particularly homogenous, and the subset of orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons who pursue spine surgery is even less diverse, along many different demographic axes. To provide effective, innovative, and accessible care to the changing population, greater diversity in spine surgery is essential. This is achieved in part by recruitment, retention, and leadership sponsorship of a new generation of trainees and faculty who reflect the diversity of the patient population they will care for. For surgeons, workforce diversity means improved learning, innovation, and organizational performance. For patients, it means greater ability to access respectful, quality care. Investing in the future of spine surgery means creating a more diverse and inclusive field, one in which patients from all walks of life can say, “My doctor is different—like me.”